The Rise of the Time Controller
by ClassifiedMc
Summary: The stories of those who posses an affinity for time itself are few and far between. But to Richter, a young college student, these stories are more fact than fiction. With a shield to his name, he must set out in this new world to try and end the Waves of Catastrophe, all while learning the meaning behind his visions. Rated T for violence.
1. A New World

_There are many legends throughout the world. Some talk of King Arthur and his knights. Others speak of the mysterious group of knights known as Primis, who fought and disappeared into nothing. There are some that speak of the Legendary Cardinal Heroes, and others that speak of the battle between Heaven and Hell that happens beneath everyone's noses._

_Some legends are true, others are fantasies. However, they all come from the truth. Time has only altered them from their original truth, and the tale of the Controllers of Time is no different. In legends hardly exist anymore, they speak of those who can change the flow of time with a wave of their hand. _

_What happened to them, is unknown. Some say they were hunted as freaks of nature. Others claim they were smited by God for daring to bring something not of His creation to His world. Some believe that the devil has their souls, through some unholy deal. And some believe they are still out there, their powers dormant, until they are needed. _

* * *

The sound of keys caught his ears, breaking his thoughtless trance. Looking up, the young man saw his professor lock the door. The professor was an older man, with graying hair and a beard and green eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie.

"Didn't expect to see you staying so late, Richter," the man told the young adult. He had light grey hair and eyes. The hair was medium length, and was combed back which led to a small ponytail near the end. It looked similar to a hairstyle from the colonial era. He was wearing an open olive drab jacket with a brown shirt underneath. He had black jeans and black work boots.

"Well, I was gonna wait for the rest of the crew to get here so we could bounce ideas off of each other, but they just texted me saying they couldn't make it," the student responded.

"Well, what seems to be the problem?" The elder asked, as they began to walk the halls of the university.

"I don't have the slightest idea what to do. I mean, I can come up with an idea, but I just don't know where to begin," Richter explained.

"Let's start with what you like. What do you like to read?"

The man looked aside. "Manga." He answered quietly.

"Those Japanese comics?" The professor asked. The man nodded. "Ha. Well, I'm not surprised. My grandson reads em, and when I first saw you, I had that same feeling that I had with my grandson." The professor told him. He quickly wrote something on a slip of paper, before handing it to his student. "Give that to the librarian. She's got a special book that I read when I was younger that's like the plots to the manga my grandson reads. It's very rare, so that's why you need the note. Anyways, good luck on your paper, I expect to see it by the end of next week," he said, waving his hand.

Richter looked at the note. It was quickly scribbled down, but he could make out what it said.

_Believe in Her, Hero. _

He gave a shrug, before walking through the university. It was a fairly large campus, but the sophomore knew his way around. Opening the door, he found himself in a large room, with books on every shelf he could see. Some were fiction, others were fact. However, his goal was for something that was off the record. Maneuvering his way through the library, he saw the bookkeeper.

She was an older woman, late 60s if he had to guess, with grey-blonde hair and dull brown eyes. She was wearing work clothes, and she had on small glasses. Looking up, she saw the grey haired man.

"Ah, Mr. Castellianos, good to see you," The liberian told him.

"Good to see you too, Marylyn," the student responded, "Professor Parker said that I could get some kind of book if I showed you this note," he told her, handing the note to her. For a second, he could've sworn he saw her eyes flash.

"Of course, dearie," she said, reaching under the desk and receiving the book. It was about the size of a textbook, and was made of hardened leather. It was a crimson red, with the title on the front.

The Records of the Four Cardinal Heroes

"Do be mindful, it is extremely rare, so take care of it," she told him, as he picked the book up. It was heavier than he expected.

"Don't worry, I will," Richter told her, "how long do I have until I need to turn it back in?"

"Two weeks, as usual. Although, you can turn it into James and he'll bring it to me. But it can only be through person. I'd rather not place it up there with the regular books."

"Alright, thanks," the young man said, walking out of the library and to the dorms. His dorm was on the second floor, first on the right. Opening the door, he saw he was the only one there.

'Guess they're finishing up their classes. At least it'll give me time to read,' he said, plopping down on the couch and bringing his book to his face. Opening it, he began to read it over.

_In a world that is threatened by the Waves of Catastrophe, four heroes from different worlds are summoned to stop them. Each wield a legendary weapon. Either a sword, a bow, a spear, or a shield. Some believe the four heroes are believed to be reincarnations of the previous heroes, while others think it's the weapon that ties the previous heroes together. _

'That's weird. I could've sworn I heard of those specific weapons from somewhere," Richter said, thinking. It hit him. 'I heard of these in my dreams. I didn't question it, but it doesn't make sense that I knew the four weapons that would appear.' Shaking his head, he continued to read. Apparently, there was some kind of bio on each of the heroes. He just skimmed through it, until he got to the Shield Hero section.

It was blank.

"What the-" Richter was suddenly cut off by a blinding light that engulfed him. The couch he was sitting on suddenly disappeared, as he entered freefall. Hitting the ground, the young man passed out.

* * *

Two hooded figures entered the dorm room. The identity, nor the gender of the individual, couldn't be determined through the black hood.

"Unlocked. At least it saves us some time," one said, as they scanned the room. The room was in pristine condition. On the floor, however, was an open book.

"So, do you think you chose correctly?" The second figure asked. The first grabbed the book and looked at the page.

"I don't think," they said, as they looked at the page. It showed a grey haired man, raising a shield against a horde of monsters, while someone out of frame prepared a sword swing behind him.

"I know."

* * *

Apparently, recovering from passing out takes a couple of seconds. That, or he only blacked out for a second. Either way, he was groaning from his position on the ground. Using his shielded hand, he pushed himself up to a standing position.

Wait, shield?

Looking at his left forearm, he saw a metal shield. It was made of a light grey material, with a green crystal in the center. It didn't have a strap, yet it hung from his arm. Shaking his arm, it didn't budge.

Looking up, Richter found himself in a dark room, with the only sources of light being from the glowing symbol he was standing on, and the doorway. There were figures standing at the doorway. Each of them had on a cloak and a hood over their head, with the exception of one, who had short brown hair.

Looking around the rest of the room, he saw three figures standing on the symbol. One was a man taller than himself and who had blonde hair in a ponytail, an open red jacket, and a white shirt underneath it. He had a necklace on, auburn eyes, and had brown pants. The most surprising thing was what he had in his hand. It was a long spear, with a white shaft and a red circular crystal in the head of the spear.

The next one was a guy with black hair and blue eyes. He was about Richter's height and was wearing a zipped up blue jacket with a black shirt underneath. He had black pants and had a sword in his hand. The hilt was made of a white material, while the blade was either a dark grey or a light black. In between the hilt and blade was another circular crystal. This time, it was blue.

Finally, the third one was a boy with blonde hair and green eyes. He was shorter than the grayed hair man, and had a green schoolboy's uniform. In his hand was a golden bow, with the circular crystal being in the place where you would put an arrow.

"Brave heroes, please save our world!" The unhooded man asked.

"What?" The four responded.

"What do you mean 'save our world'? Save it from what?" The guy with the bow responded.

"The story is long and confusing. In short, you four are the legendary heroes, and you were brought here by an ancient ritual," he told them. Everything clicked in the head of the shield bearer.

"My God," Richter whispered.

"Our world is on the brink of destruction, and we require your aid to save it. Please lend us your strength," the man pleaded, bowing.

"Forget it."

"Imma have to agree with him."

"If you can send us back, maybe we'll talk."

The other three responded. First the sword, then the bow, then the spear. Richter was snapped out of his mental freak out by their words. He looked at them in confusion.

"You brought us here without our consent. Don't you feel the least bit guilty?"

"Plus, if you send us back without any reward, this whole thing was for nothing."

"How willing are you to accommodate us? Depending on your answer, we may become your enemies."

They said in the same order again. The Sword Hero raised his weapon to them.

'Christ, can you guys be any more demanding?' Richter asked.

"Good sirs, before we discuss things further, I suggest you have an audience with our great King. There, you can negotiate for a reward," the man told them.

"Alright."

"The least we can do is hear them out."

"It doesn't matter who we talk to, what we want is gonna stay the same."

The three answered in the same order, They all left and followed the mages. First was the sword, then the bow, and finally the spear. Sighing and shaking his head, Richter followed. As they ascended a staircase, they looked outside of a window. They were in a place that resembled a Medieval city.

"So we really are in another world," the bow hero said.

"The air's a lot less humid than back home," Richter whispered.

"Come on, let's not keep the king waiting," the sword hero told them. The others nodded, before getting back to their walk.

Eventually, they found themselves in the throne room, which was a long room with two thrones in front of them. There were knights around them, each with a pike. There was a man sitting in the throne on the heroes's left. He wore a purple and white robe, with white clothing underneath. He had golden decorations around his neck, alongside a crown with a purple jewel in it. He was old, and had purple eyes and a white beard and mane. The other throne was empty. To man's left was a second man, who wore a black and reddish purple suit. He had grey hair.

"So, these four young men are the Legendary Cardinal Heroes. Welcome to my castle. I am King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, the king of Melromarc. I will explain the situation, but first give me your names," the bearded man said.

The Sword Hero stepped forward. "My name is Ren Amaki, I'm 16 years old, and a high school student."

"I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, I'm 21 and a college student," the Spear Hero said.

"I guess I'm next. I'm Itsuki Kawasumi, I'm 17 and a high school student," the Bow Hero answered.

"Alright, I'm Ric-"

"I see, so Ren, Motoyasu and Itsuki," the king said, cutting off Richter.

'Screw you, too,' the Shield Hero thought.

"Excuse me, your majesty, but you forgot the shield hero," Itsuki said.

"Ah, my apologies," the King said, "Go on ahead, shield hero."

"Thanks," he said to Itsuki, "I'm Richter Castellanos. I'm 19 and, like Motoyasu, I'm a college student."

"Now then, I believe it to be best to explain why I brought you here," the king said. Richter narrowed his gaze, as he appeared to be ignored by the king. "My country, and the entire world is headed to the brink of destruction. Ancient prophecies talked of the Waves of Catastrophe, apocalyptic events that could destroy the world. The wave attacked us almost three weeks ago. While our knights were able to hold them off, it will return in one month's time. However, they also spoke of how to combat the waves, and that is where you come in. They spoke of the Four Cardinal Heroes, who have the strength to end the waves once and for all."

The four heroes processed the information, thinking. Nodding, Ren stepped forward.

"Alright, I get the jist of it," he said, pointing his sword to the ground, "but you don't expect us to fight your war for free, do you?"

"Of course not," the man to the king's left answered, "When the Waves are dealt with, you will be compensated handsomely."

"Well then, I see we've come to a mutual understanding," Motoyasu said.

"But don't think for a second you can control us," Ren continued.

"Exactly," Itsuki said. Richter rubbed his forehead.

"Since we have reached an agreement, could you four go on and check your Status," the king said, catching Richer by surprise.

"Status?" Itsuki asked.

"You guys must be dense. It's in the bottom left corner of your vision," Ren said. The three looked around. "Once you find it, focus on it."

Narrowing his gaze on the icon, it expanded, becoming a type of menu. It showed his name, alongside his age, his class, his health, magic and SP. It also showed his stats,

including his attack stat of 1.

"You gotta be kidding me," Richter whispered.

"We're only level one?" Itsuki asked.

"Can we even fight like this?" Motoyasu asked. "What is all of this, anyways?"

"It's called Status Magic. It's exclusive to the Cardinal Heroes," the unnamed man said.

"So, what's step one?" Ren asked.

"You must set out on an upgrade the legendary weapons," he answered.

"Wait, they don't come maxed out?" Richter asked.

"Why don't we wield other weapons until these become useful?" Motoyasu asked, twirling his spear.

"I guess we'll have to figure that out as we go along," Ren responded.

"Looks like we gotta get some training in, and fast. Then, we can set up a party an-" Itsuki began.

"One moment, brave heroes," the unnamed man said. You must recruit allies separately, as the legends speak of how the weapons repel each other's growth." At that point, they received a notification explaining that EXP won't be gained if the legendary weapons are too close to each other.

"He's telling the truth," Richter said.

"Due to how late it is, please rest here for tonight," King Melromarc said. "We shall hold a feast in your honor and we will send out a message for adventurers to aid you on your quest." At this point, a woman in a dress approached the four heroes.

"Please follow me, great heroes," she said, before turning to leave. The four looked to each other, before nodding and following her.

* * *

The feast was, at the very least, not unpleasant.

The food was extremely well made. It was better than most things Richter ever ate. The only problem was the stares he received from everyone attending. It made sense, considering he was a Cardinal Hero, and he had a hair color that was unique, to say the least. But, the food made up for that.

Currently, they were in a fairly large room, with a few pieces of furniture. Itsuki and Motoyasu were on the couch, while Ren had his back on the wall, looking downward. Richter was sitting on a chair, and was currently looking through his stats.

**Richter Castellanos Age 19 Level 01 **

**Class: Shield Hero**

**Weapon: Legendary Shield**

**Equipment: Otherworld Clothes **

**HP: 175/175**

**MP: 25/25**

**SP: 45/45**

**ATK: 1**

**DEF: 50**

**AGI: 12**

**DEX: 10**

**Skills:**

**?**

**?**

"Wait, what?" Richter asked. "Hey, you guys have an unknown skill?" He asked, catching their attention.

"One sec," Itsuki said, "it says none for skills."

"Same here," Motoyasu replied.

"What does it look like?" Ren asked.

"It's 3 question marks," Richter answered. Ren responded with a shake of the head. Richter shrugged. "Well, I guess I got some kind of special skill. I guess that's neat," looking over his status again, a new thought came to him. "This seems way too much like a video game."

"That's because it is a video game," Motoyasu said. "It's just like _Emerald_ _Online_."

"Must be a Japan exclusive game, because I've never heard of it," Richter told him.

"Wait, you aren't Japanese?" Itsuki asked.

"Nope, born and raised in the states," Richter told them.

"Either way, you're wrong, Motoyasu," Ren said, "it's like the VRMMO, _Brave Star Online_."

"Wait, VRMMO? I know I would've heard something about that," Richter said quietly.

"We don't even have VRMMOs yet. Besides, it's a console game called _Dimensional Wave_," Itsuki said.

"Okay, okay, wait," Richter said. "Ren, you're not BSing us on this VRMMO stuff?" He responded with a shake of the head. "Okay, let's try some common knowledge."

"Alright, which countries won the second world war?" Motoyasu asked. "On three. One. Two. Three."

"America, Britain, and Russia."

"Germany and Japan."

"Italy and France."

"There was a second world war?"

The four said at the same time.

"Wait, what?" They all said in unison.

"This doesn't make sense. How could we have different histories?" Itskui asked.

"Well, I think I know," Richter said, catching everyone's attention, "Before I was summoned here, I picked up this book from the library. _The Records of the Four Cardinal Heroes_. And in the opening piece, it said that four heroes from different worlds were to be summoned. Which means..."

"We're from different worlds," Itsuki said.

"So, Richter, you only have a book resembling this world?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, but I only got about five pages into it. When I reached the part about the shield hero, it was blank and that was when I got summoned," Richter told them.

"Well, in that case, let big bro Motoyasu help you out," the spear hero said, "You're the shield hero, so that means that you would be considered a shielder class. Which means that you're basically screwed," he said bluntly.

"Wait, what? Why?" Richter asked.

"The shielder class is only used by newbies. I mean, it's good for aggro control and defense, but not much else," Motoyasu explained.

"You're kidding. What about you two and your worlds?" Richter asked.

"Shields suck," Ren answered bluntly.

"Yeah, sorry," Itsuki said.

"Oh well, so be it," Richter said, standing up.

"Wait, you're not upset?" Motoyasu said, surprised.

"Nah, I'm used to having the short end of the stick, so I'll be fine. All I need's a strong partner who can hit hard while I take the hits," he said. Walking to the bedroom, he waved to the other heroes, "I'm turning in early. See you guys in the morning."

As they said goodnight, Richter thought he heard someone near the door. Shaking his head and entering the bedroom, he threw himself on the mattress. Soon, sleep overtook the Shield Hero.

**Hello everyone and welcome to my new story. For those who did not read the latest chapter in my other story, this is a side project I've been working on since I got Writer's Block. This story will be updated infrequently, as its not my main fanfic. Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.**


	2. Visions

"_You're under arrest!"_

"_How could you do such a thing?"_

"_He barged into my room, completely drunk. 'The night is still young,' he said."_

"_I never did anything!"_

"_The punishment for attempted rape in Melromarc is death!"_

"_How does 30 silver sound?"_

"_If you can't fight, then I'll go back there and buy someone else."_

"_Who are you, really?"_

"_Just get out of here, Raphtalia!"_

"_Don't leave me!"_

"_I am your sword."_

"_Let's go, to Lute Village!"_

"_I challenge you to a duel, # $& %#!"_

"_Let her go!"_

"_You guys are just gonna ignore that!"_

"_Kill the Shield Devil!"_

"_He doesn't deserve to live!"_

"_This world,_

"_CAN BURN FOR ALL I CARE!"_

Richter woke up in a cold sweat. His heart was banging out of his chest. Looking himself over, he saw goosebumps covering his arms. His legs were weak and his head hurt. He looked at his shield, staring at it. At the right angle, he could see his reflection. Tilting the shield, he saw a mirrored version of himself. He had black hair, and green eyes. Blinking and shaking his head, it returned to the light grey he was familiar with.

As he felt his legs regain strength, he realized he wasn't alone. Looking over to the other individual in the room, he saw Itskui looking up at him in confusion.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Ye-yeah, just a nightmare," Richter responded. If he was honest, he didn't even know what was happening.

All he saw were flashes of places he's never been, except for two. The hallway of a wooden building, the throne room, a dark place with dirt floors and cages, a weapons and armor shop, a campfire at night with a river nearby, a cave, a city, an open field overlooking a village, the place where they had the feast at, an arena, and finally a black void. There was nobody there, just the area itself.

But the voices.

They were in a slew of multiple conversations, but the ones he was able to understand were louder than anyone else's. He could identify most of the voices. The one who said that he was under arrest was a guard at the feast. The person who asked "how could you?" was Itskui. An unknown woman's voice told the story about him entering the room drunk. The person who said they didn't do anything was a mixture of Richter and someone else's voice. He couldn't identify the other man's voice. The one who announced the punishment for attempted rape was the King, but he sounded angry. He couldn't tell who asked if 30 silver was good, but the next one was his voice mixed with the mysterious man's voice.

The voice who asked who he was could be identified as a young female. The next one, about him telling someone named Raphtalia to get out of somewhere was Richter and the other guy's voice. The next two were the girl, Raphtalia, if he had to guess, yet the voice was slightly different for the second line. The next one who said they were going to Lute was his mixed up voice. The next one, who challenged someone to a duel, was Motoyasu. He couldn't tell who he challenged, since there was static, or white noise, that blocked out what he said. The next two were him, while the next two were an unknown female and male. The final one was Richter's, who sounded like he was screaming to the heavens.

Shaking his head out of the thought, he noticed Itsuki was looking at him in concern.

"Hey, I got a question," Richter said. Itsuki nodded. The grayed haired man sighed, "Do you see dreams as just dreams, or are they more like visions?" He asked.

"I can't really tell you, why?" Itsuki asked.

"Before I woke up the day I got summoned, I had a dream about a sword, a bow, a spear, and a shield. Before I woke up this morning, my nightmare showed me places I've never been, and I heard people I haven't heard before. Maybe it was a warning, or my fate. But, and I might be wrong here, but I think what happened was that I was accused of attempted rape," Richter said, sighing, "if I'm right, then I might need you in my corner. But if I'm wrong, then it was just a nightmare."

"Are you sure?" Itsuki asked.

"Not 100%, but my dreams have usually been correct, or at least somewhat accurate," Richter told him.

"Alright, I'll think about what you said. But don't think that you'll actually get away with doing it," Itsuki said.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Richter said, before chuckling. "Anyways, we should get moving."

"Right," Itsuki said, as they got up and brushed some of the wrinkles out of their clothes. As they exited the room, they noticed Motoyasu and Ren were already up. Motoyasu was twirling his spear, while Ren had his head down while he was leaning on a wall.

"There you guys are," the Spear Hero said.

"About time," Ren spoke, as he looked up.

"Heroes, I suppose you are ready?" A female voice asked from beyond the door.

"Yeah, we're on the way," Itsuki said, "we should get moving."

Leaving the room and following the woman, all while preventing Motoyasu from flirting with her, the Cardinal Heroes made their way to the throne room. In front of them were about 12 adventurers. Each wore different types of armor, but none really caught Richter's eye.

Except for one.

She had short red hair, with beautiful green eyes. She had a white and purple outfit underneath a leather corset. On her hip was a sword in a sheathe.

She looked at the man with grey eyes and smiled. Richter smiled back, but felt an intense pain in his head that forced him to a knee. With a hand from Itsuki, he got back up. Rubbing his face, he felt blood trickling out of his nose. He quickly wiped it onto his sleeve.

"What is it?" The high school student asked.

"That woman, something about her," he said, nodding to the woman. "I think it might be the person, but I have no idea. I need to listen to her voice," he whispered to him.

"Is everything alright, Shield Hero?" The King asked.

"Yes sir, I just lost my balance. I'm still adjusting to this world," he lied. However, the king of Melormarc nodded, and took what the Shield said as the truth.

"Well, I guess we should hurry. Adventurers, please join up with the great heroes," he said, as the adventurers began to move.

"They're choosing, huh," Richter mused. After they had settled, he turned around. Behind him was … nobody. Looking at Motoyasu, he had four females, including the one girl who was a walking red flag for the Shield Hero. Ren had five party members, while Itskui had three.

'Given how the King's been treating me, I should've seen this coming,' Richter thought.

"Well, this was unexpected," the King said.

"Wow, the Shield Hero has nobody."

"He must have no charisma."

The Richter heard two people mutter, while an attendant whispered something in the ear of the King.

"I have just been informed of a rumor that had spread. Supposedly, the Shield Hero knows little of this world. According to the ancient legend, the summoned heroes are supposed to have a great deal of knowledge," The King explained.

"I knew I heard someone," the gray-haired man whispered.

"Someone must've been listening in our conversations," Ren said. "I'm used to running solo, so if you can't pull your weight, then go to Richter." Ren said to his group, who all scooted closer to the Sword Hero.

"If any of these lovely ladies would like to join you, then I won't stop them," Motoyasu said, as they scooted closer. Looking at Itsuki, Richter raised a hand.

"It's fine, Itsuki. I'll manage," the man said.

"Would you allow me to join your party, Shield Hero?" a female voice said. Instantly, Richter's eyes went wide.

It was _her._

Looking at the source of the voice, it was the redhead from earlier. Richter felt a warm liquid leave his nose, but it stopped bleeding after a second. He covered it with his hand, wiping the blood onto his clothes.

Something urged him to say yes, but his mind knew better. Looking at her, he shook his head, "I appreciate it, but I'd rather not get between you and Motoyasu," he said, before leaning closer. "I saw him checking you out earlier," he whispered in her ear. It was a quick lie, but he knew from the party that Motoyasu was a sort of Casanova. He might've actually been checking her out and he just didn't see it.

"W-wait, really?" She asked, clearly not expecting such a comment.

"Yeah, I'm more perceptive than one may think," he told her.

"W-well, how will you manage without a party member?" she asked. She was making it clear she wanted to join him.

"I can come up with something. Worst case, I just have to pay some swords for hire. I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine," Richter reiterated.

"Alright. Well, thanks for at least telling me about the Spear Hero," she told him, before stepping back in line.

"Well, I suppose we will distribute the finds. The shield hero will receive 800 silvers to help form a party, while everyone else will be given 600," the King said, as four women walked in front of the four heroes, with a bag in each of their hands.

'He already had 200 extra in my bag,' Richter thought. 'If that's not suspicious, I don't know what is.' He took the bag and stored it in his jacket pocket.

"Now, brave heroes, go and save our world!" The king announced with vigor.

* * *

"Itskui, hold up a minute!"

The Bow Hero turned to see the shield bearer running to him. He smiled, before turning back to his party.

"Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you," he told the adventurers. They nodded, before going to the gate that led to the capital city. "What's up Richter?" he asked.

"Good, you heard me," he responded. "Anyways, you know that redhead I mentioned earlier?"

"It's her, isn't it?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. That's just fantastic," he said, muttering the last part.

"Well, maybe you can change how things will go," Itskui suggested. "What was the first thing you saw and heard when you started having the nightmare, or premonition?"

"It looked to be some kind of hallway. And I heard a guard say I was under arrest. Maybe the hallway was in some kind of inn. I'll try to see if my nosebleeds can actually lead to where I need to avoid,"Richter suggested. "Anyways, I don't need to hold you up. I just gotta snag some gear before I head outta the city."

"Okay, take care and change the future!" Itskui said, as he ran to his party. Richter followed, but ran straight into the city itself.

The city was a lively place, full of people of all ages and heights. Richter began to freak out at the sight of so many people he didn't know, but he calmed his nerves. He saw a door open and heard a familiar voice, which prompted him to duck into a nearby alleyway and listen.

"That armor looks great on you, Sir Motoyasu," he heard the redhead say.

"Thanks, Myne. Now, why don't we get to killing some monsters!" The shield heard the spear say, as his party walked away.

'So her name's Myne. Good to know,' he thought, before looking at the store they had just left. Opening the door, he felt his heart sink.

It was the armory shop from his nightmare.

"Well, I didn't expect to get another customer so soon!" He heard a man say. Snapping himself back to reality, Richter looked to the man. He had a bald head and brown eyes, alongside a beard. He was wearing white clothes, with a blacksmith's apron on. He was taller and more built than the Shield Hero.

"Y-yeah, I saw the Spear Hero leave here, so I'd figure it would be a great place to look," he explained, quickly wiping the blood from his nose. Luckily, the shopkeeper didn't seem to notice.

"Ha, well I can tell you've got a great eye," he said, raising his hand. "Erhard."

"Richter Castellanos, the Shield Hero," he said, grabbing him in a firm handshake. "But you can call me Richter."

"Alright. Well, what're you in the market for?" he asked, letting go of the hand.

"Weapons and armor," he told him.

"So just armor," Erhard said.

"Wait, what?"

"Well, when your spear buddy came in here, he tried to pick up this sword," he said, indicating at the sword that was planted in the wall, "when he did, it shocked him and it went flying. If you wanna try, be my guest."

"What's the harm in trying?" Richter asked, as he wrapped his hand around the sword. Instantly, he felt an electric charge against his skin, that burned and sent his hand recoiling back. "Okay, that's the harm in trying," he whispered, nursing his hand. A notification appeared on his HUD.

_Warning: Legendary Weapon Violation_

_Cardinal Heroes are restricted to only using the Legendary Weapons. _

"So, I guess I could use some armor. Anything you got that's light?" He asked.

"Really? I thought you would've wanted something that can take some punches, to keep protecting your party for longer," Erhard said.

"Well, I would, but I don't have a party to defend," he told him, shaking his head. "Nobody chose me, so I just decided to run solo. At the very least, I got some extra silver out of it."

"Yeah, I heard about the rumor of you being a dud, but not having anybody sounds a bit rough," Erhard told him.

"Well, there was someone who wanted to join, but I refused their company," he said.

"Why would you do that if you only had a shield?" Realizing his mistake, Richter cursed at himself.

"If I tell you, do you promise to not tell anyone else?" Erhard nodded. "Alright, well this may sound crazy, but I need you to follow me on this..." Richter began, before explaining his situation.

"... and all I can gather is that I need to find this girl, Raphtalia, for some reason. But for right now, avoiding Myne is my best chance at preventing the trial," Richter told the blacksmith.

"And you're trusting everything on some dream?" Erhard said, making Richter nod.

"I've trusted weaker things and people, and they usually didn't let me down," Richter said, "I probably should get going, so let's spend some coin."

"Now you're talking. You said you needed light armor?" Erhard said, as he went into the storage room and pulled out a leather tunic. It was brown, short sleeved and it had a belt around the midsection. He tossed it to the Shield Hero, who caught it. Removing his olive drab jacket, he slipped the tunic on. It was nonrestrictive, and, thankfully, provided some defense.

_Light Leather Tunic: +5 Def_

"Now we're cooking with gas," Richter said. "How much?"

"Going price is 80, but if you take 85, then I'll give you an old adventuring bag at a discount," Erhard said.

"Deal," he said, as he reached into his coin bag. There were some gold coins alongside a lot of silver coins. "So in this world, 100 silver equals 1 gold?" Richter asked.

"Figured that out on your own?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was just guessing, but yeah," he said, as he handed the shopkeeper 1 gold coin and he got 15 silver coins back. He tossed him a leather rucksack. It was sewn together, and had a few buckles and straps on it.

"Pleasure doing business with ya," he said, as he counted his coin. Richter folded his jacket up, and placed it in the rucksack, alongside his money. He then threw it over his shoulder.

"Likewise, Erhard. If I ever need armor or weapons, I know where to find ya," Richter said, as he waved away. He saw the exit of the capitol, so he began making his way to it.

Leaving the gated area, he found himself in an open field. Making his way to the top of a hill, he saw Ren fighting against orange blobs. With one swing of his blade, they fell. Crouching behind a tree, he watched the Sword Hero take the fragment and place them on the gem in his sword. The fragment got absorbed, as he nodded, and continued to hunt.

'Did his sword just eat that monste-' Richter stopped thinking as he heard growling coming from behind him. Turning and raising his shield, he blocked an attack. It came from what could only be described as an evil orange balloon. It had sharp teeth and devilish eyes. He focused and saw its name.

_Orange Balloon Lv: 1_

'Only level one? Good,' Richter thought, as he slammed his shield down on it. It bounced like a basketball, before jumping at him. He slipped past it and elbowed it in the back of the 'head'. Before it could recover, he raised his shield and slammed it on the balloon, forcing it to pop.

_EXP +3_

Richter saw as he stood back up. 'I'd figure they wouldn't be worth much, but only three?' Richter asked, but shook his head. 'Time and place for everything, now is neither,' he told himself, before grabbing the fragments and looking at his shield. Specifically, the gem. 'Let's see if it works,' Richter thought as he placed the fragment on the crystal. The green crystal shined, before absorbing the balloon fragment.

_New Shield Unlocked_

_Orange Balloon Shield_

_Passive: +1 __Defense_

_Active: None_

'It's got a passive ability, yet no active. So, some shields require me to equip them, somehow, in order for me to use their active skill,' Richter guessed, before he heard the bushes around him shake. Turning around, he saw three more orange balloons jump out at him. Knowing he couldn't block them all, he rolled to the left. Looking up, he only saw two. Shaking his head, he raised his shield.

_Orange Balloon Lv: 1_

_Orange Balloon Lv: 2_

He attacked the weaker balloon first, by bashing it with his shield. It sent the monster away, while the other one tried to bite him. He let it jump at him, and then he dodged. Bounding into a tree, the balloon found itself stuck between a giant tree, and a metal shield. Richter pushed it into the tree, crushing it. Turning around, he saw the Level 1 rush in to avenge it's comrade.

With a kick, Richter sent it away again. He had to find that other balloon. That's when he heard nibbling. Looking to his left, he saw the orange balloon. It was a level 2. He didn't even feel it hit him, and, according to his stationary health bar, it didn't even hurt. He grabbed it off of him, before an idea came up. He placed the balloon on his right hand, while the weaker balloon finally managed to come back. It jumped at him, but Richter could tell it was scared to do so. It probably thought Richter would kick it again. Instead, Richter gave his left fist to it, which it bit down on.

With a smile at his new boxing gloves, he went to the tree and began to punch it. The punches bounced back when he hit the mighty plant, but then he felt a burning pain. It became intense, as he had to rip the balloons off with his teeth. Looking at his hands, he saw electricity.

_Warning: Legendary Weapon Violation_

"Are you kidding me?" Richter asked. He couldn't even do that? Sighing, he took the balloon fragments. 8 in total.

_EXP +13_

'At least I'm one step closer to leveling up,' Richter thought, as he heard bushes rustling behind him. Turning, he saw about 8 orange balloons. 'Time for another step.'

* * *

It wasn't too late.

The sun had already begun to set by the time Richter finished grinding out for levels. He managed to make it to level 2, and got a decent boost to his stats.

… except his attack.

That was still at one. He was a bit tired, but hunger override that. He found himself in front of a tavern, or an inn. Entering the room, his first intention was to get a room and settle down.

"Ah, welcome, great Shield Hero," the innkeeper said. He was an older man, mid 40s if Richter had to guess, with black hair and brown eyes. He had a clean face. "I suppose you're here for a room?"

"You suppose correctly. How much?" He asked. To the shield bearer's surprise, he shook his head.

"A young lady already paid for your room," the innkeeper said. That was the first red flag. "Sir, are you alright?" He asked, "You appear to be bleeding."

"Huh?" He asked as he touched his face. Nosebleed. Red flag number two. "Oh, it's nothing. Let's go and see this room," Richter said.

"Follow me," the older man said, as he climbed up a flight of stairs. They reached a hallway, with about eight rooms. Richter stopped.

The third and final red flag.

"Here's your room," the innkeeper said, showing a room, "and your key." He handed the Shield Hero a bronze key. "Please enjoy your stay." With that, the innkeeper left to attend his post.

Richter looked back to the stairwell. "I gotta get out of here," he whispered. Dashing downstairs, he was about to leave, but he was stopped by the innkeeper.

"Sir, we need you to return the key if you plan on leaving," he said. Richter gladly handed the key over, before leaving the inn.

Richter ran as far as he could from the inn, while keeping an eye out for Itsuki. For all he knew, Itsuki might still be in the city, so he could try to get to him and inform of the development. However, after ten minutes of looking around, he couldn't find the Bow Hero.

"Shit, I gotta find somewhere to sleep," Richter said, as he noticed Erhard's shop. It looked to be open. "Maybe he knows a place," he said, before opening the door.

Luckily, nobody was as the Shield Hero looked around. That's when he noticed a shield on the ground. It was a wooden shield, with a red symbol painted on the front. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Grabbing the shield, he prepared for an electric shock. Instead, he received a notification.

_Would you like to copy this weapon?_

_Yes/No_

Shrugging, Richter picked yes. He then received a notification.

_Deku Shield_

_Passive: +8 Defense, Forest Tracking Lv 1 _

_Active: Forest Stealth Lv 1_

"An active ability?"Richter asked. He raised his own shield, concentrating. "Deku Shield!" he said, as his shield glowed, and morphed into a copy of the Deku Shield he was holding. The one difference was the green gem his shield had in the middle.

"What's going on?" He heard Erhard ask, which made the Shield Hero flinch and throw the shield in the air. Quickly catching it, his eyes locked with the shopkeeper.

"Uhh, hi?" Richter said, raising his hand.

"Richter, right? What're you doing here?" The owner of the weapons shop asked. "Also you're bleeding."

"I am?" Richter asked, before he felt it touch his lips. "Goddammit," he swore, as he wiped it up. "I swear, I'm gonna bleed out just from these premonitions before any monsters get to me," Richter muttered, as he finished drying the blood. "Anyways, I'm here because the inn I was planning on staying at is filled with red flags, so I was hoping you knew a place,"Richter explained.

"Ah, same place as your dream?" Erhard asked. Richter just nodded. "Well, I normally don't do this, but first, I just gotta ask," he began, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SHIELD?!"

Jumping back in surprise, Richter almost dropped the shield again. He placed it on the shelf. "I just picked up this shield because I thought I recognized it, then I got the notification to copy it, so I figured why not. After copying it, I saw it had an active ability, which I'm pretty sure means that I need the shield equipped in order to use it, so I thought saying the name would be enough to summon it, and it turns out it was," Richter explained quickly.

"Is the shield itself damaged?" He asked.

"Shouldn't be," the Shield Hero said, looking it over. It looked just like how it did when he picked it up earlier. "Nope, it's fine."

"Good. That's supposedly an extremely rare shield, so I'm trying to figure out if I should sell or keep it," Erhard explained, "So you're saying you copied the shield?"

"Apparently. Here," he said, as he moved his shield arm to the shopkeeper.

"Hmm. Besides the gem, it's basically a copy of that wooden shield," Erhard said, as he let go of his arm. "Well, thanks for showing me something new, at least."

"So, you know of a place to stay?" Richter asked.

"I've got an empty guest room, if you don't mind sleeping there. If you're really gonna be accused of that crime, then it might be best if you stay here. I got some good connections with the guards and the royal family, so my word should be more valuable," Erhard explained.

"Thanks. How much?" Richter asked.

"Two silver for staying, three for insurance," Erhard explained, as Richter handed over five silver. As he counted, he walked to the front door and locked it. He then went to the back and motioned Richter to follow. The Shield Hero guessed that the shop also doubled as his home. He only hoped that Erhard had some food.

* * *

Richter could understand why Erhard didn't cook that well. He lived alone, so he didn't have anyone to impress.

But BY GOD did Erhard not know how to cook.

Richter was so lucky he knew how to prepare a meal. After he showed off his cooking prowess, they ate and Richter was shown to the guest bedroom. It was a queen sized bed, with a single window and a nightstand.

"It ain't much, but here," Erhard said. "Don't make too much noise, and if you gotta go to that trial, you better wake me up and tell me. Don't worry, I'll vouch for you."

"Thanks. And get some rest. I got a feeling tomorrow's gonna be hell," Richter told him. The old man went to bed, leaving Richter on his own. The young hero laid down on the bed, as he mentally prepared himself for the events of tomorrow.

**Hey everyone, and welcome back to The Rise of the Time Controller. Due to quarantine, I've managed to get some of the next few chapters done. However, I am still proofreading them, just to make sure they are good enough to be published. **

**Thank you for reading, and stay safe.**


	3. The Trial Awaits

Loud banging woke up the Shield Hero. Pushing himself out of bed, he wandered downstairs, but stopped before he reached the view of the person at the door.

"Sir Erhard, I must ask if you've seen the Shield Hero? He's wanted by the King," a guard asked. Richter recognized the voice as the guard from his dream.

"Wanted for what?" Richter said before the man who he was staying with could respond. He walked down the steps, an air of uneasiness surrounded him. He took a breath and calmed his nerves.

"Shield Hero, is that you?" The guard asked.

"Yeah it's me. Now answer my question," Richter said.

"You're under arrest for the attempted rape of Myne Sophia," the guard said, while Richter and Erhard shared a glance, "Now come with u-"

"When's the trial?" Richter asked, cutting the guard off.

"U-Uh, this morning. The King would wish for the situation to be handled swiftly," the guard informed the hero.

"It's so the evidence can't be tampered with. Makes sense," Richter said, cupping his chin. "Alright, I'll cooperate."

"Good, now le-"

"Hold on, let me finish," Richter said. "I'll cooperate as long as both Erhard and the innkeeper both come in as witnesses. The innkeeper should be the one who works at the inn that the supposed crime took place. He's mid 40s, black hair, brown eyes, and no beard."

"Alright, as long as you don't put up a fight. Is that alright with you, Sir Erhard?" The guard asked.

"That's fine with me," the older man said.

"Good," the guard said, before he looked to two of his men, "You two. Fetch the innkeeper and bring him to the castle," he ordered. The two gave a salute, before running off into town.

"Alright, let's move," Richter said, before following the guards to the castle.

As he walked through the streets, he kept a calm face, while his fearful side yelled at him to run. His logical point of view beat that out.

'You got an alibi, and more than one witness that'll back you up,' Richter's logical side pointed out. 'You'll be fine. Just stay calm and keep a straight face.'

The knights, shopkeeper, and hero entered the throne room. Looking forward, he saw Ren give him a look of disgust, while Itsuki looked at him in concern. The concern grew into shock when he saw the nosebleed, which Richter quickly wiped up. Motoyasu glared at him, while Myne cried into his shoulder. Richter remained silent, as he looked to the king.

"The trial against Richter Castellanos, the Shield _Hero _will now commence," the king said, as Richter noticed the disdain for the hero part of his title. "Young girl, I hate to ask you of this, but could you please recount the events of last night?" He asked the woman, who began to cry.

"Th-The Shield Hero. He barged into my room, completely drunk. 'The night is still young,' he said. He then ripped my clothes off and tried to mount me. I only barely escaped, and I ran to Sir Motoyasu's room. He wanted to take his revenge immediately, but I convinced him to let the guards capture him and put him on trial," she said, crying as she did so.

"I am so sorry for what happened to you," the king said, as he looked at her and shook his head. He then turned to glare at Richter, who kept a neutral face. In fact, if the old king looked hard enough, he could swear he saw a small smile form on his lips.

"Any other evidence you got?" Richter asked, shocking everyone, including himself to some degree.

'I just need to see what their hand is. No stone unturned,' Richter thought.

"You _monster. _You don't feel the least bit of guilt for what you've done?!" Motoyasu asked, pointing his spear at Richter.

"Your Majesty, we found this underneath his bed," a young guard said, as they entered the throne room. They were carrying a purple cloth. From what Richter could tell, it might've been some kind of lingerie or underwear. Behind them were the two guards, who had the innkeeper in tow. Luckily, they got the right guy.

Myne blushed and covered her face, while retreating to Motoyasu. He held her tight, as he glared at the Shield Hero.

"There goes your one out," Ren said.

"You just had to ask, didn't you Richter?" Itsuki whispered.

"It seems like you just want to accept you fat-"

"I'm guessing that's all you got?" Richter asked, cutting off the king. "If so, then I would like to defend myself."

"How could you defend yourself against this overwhelming evidence?" The king's adviser, the guy who stood next to the king on their first day here, asked.

"Would the innkeeper please step forward?" Richter asked.

"What do you think you're doing?" The king asked.

"Simple, I'm asking my witness to step forward, so that he may shine some evidence onto the scene," Richter said. He knew he was playing with fire, so he needed to be as logical as can be.

"This is my throne room, and I decide if you can call a witness," the king said, to which Richter gave a smug smile to.

"So, even though I have evidence that could prove my innocence, I won't be able to present it?" Richter asked. He gave a slight chuckle, "I know Motoyasu won't back me up, but I'm pretty sure that Ren and Itsuki are, at the very least, willing to hear me out. And if I can't present my evidence, then that could seem as though you were trying to silence me. Which would make the whole thing look like a huge setup," Richter said, as he saw the king and Myne both flinch. His small smile grew. "If that's the case, then it's no wonder why you wanted me to not even defend myself. They might think, 'Which of us are next?' and they might leave your country for another one while yours burns to ashes from the Waves. As for me, I wouldn't be able to defend it, since the punishment for attempted rape in Melromarc is death," Richter said, as the king's eyes widened. "All of this can be avoided, as long as you allow me to question my witnesses and give a counter argument." Richter blessed whatever God that decided he needed to have a part of the brain that thought things through.

"G-Go on ahead," the king said, his voice shaking. Richter smiled.

'Good, I've thrown him off course. Now, let's shut this case,' Richter thought.

"Would the innkeeper please step forward?" Richter asked, while the man did as asked. "Sir, would you be willing to name yourself and your occupation for the court?" Richter asked.

"Uhh, I'm Sebastian Connell, and I work as the innkeeper for the inn at which the crime took place," he answered.

"Mr. Connell, thank you for coming out. Hopefully this won't take too much of your time," Richter said, "First, the formalities. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

Sebastian raised his right hand, "I swear to our God, that if I don't tell the truth, then may He strike me down where I stand."

"Thank you. Hopefully, it will not come to that," Richter said, "Now, could you please tell everyone about how my room was already paid for?"

"Alright. A young woman entered the inn, and asked if they could purchase the room for someone else. I asked who, and they said the Shield Hero," Connell explained.

"I see," Richter said, "could you describe the woman for the sake of the trial?" Hopefully, it would be pretty open and shut.

"Sadly, no. She wore a hood over her face. She appeared to be disguising her voice, too," Connell said.

"I understand. Please continue," Richter said.

"After she paid, she asked me if I could see the room. I told her it was possible, and she entered the room."

"Did you enter the room with her?" Richter asked.

"No, I stayed outside. She was only in there for about fifteen seconds. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less," Sebastian told the court.

"Could it have been possible for her to plant some evidence?" Richter asked.

"What are you insuati-" The king began to ask, but was cut off with a glare from Richter.

"Ye-Yes, if she had the item on her," Richter nodded. "Afterwards, she went down to the main part of the inn, while I held the key."

"Let's skip to when I entered the inn. Please explain what happened," Richter said.

"You entered the inn, and I did my usual greeting. You asked for a room and I said it was already paid for. When I said that, you visibly flinched. You shook your head and cleaned the nosebleed you obtained. Then, we went to the hallway, and I gave you your key. Shortly afterwards, I saw you run down the stairs. You looked distressed. You went to leave, but I asked for your key. After you handed it over, you left the inn," Sebastian told the room and its inhabitants. Murmurs were heard throughout the room, as people began to doubt the 'victim'.

"When was the next time you saw me?" Richter asked.

"Right now," Connell said, as the suspicion grew.

"I see. Does anyone have any questions?" Richter asked, looking around. The silence was deafening. Nodding, he spoke up, "I see. If nobody has a question, then, Mr. Connell, thank you for your time."

"Thank you," he said, as he walked out of the throne room.

"Now, could Erhard please step forward," Richter said, as the shopkeeper stepped forward. "Now, for the sake of formality, could you please state your name and occupation for the court."

"I am Erhard, and I run a weapons and armor shop," he said.

"Good, now do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

Erhard raised his right hand, "I swear to our God, that if I don't tell the truth, then may He strike me down where I stand."

"Alright, now could you explain what happened last night?" Richter asked.

"I heard a noise while I was cleaning my stock in the back. When I came out of the room, I saw Richter standing in my store, holding one of my shields. He explained that he had a bad feeling about the inn he was going to stay, and that he believed there could be a problem if he stayed there. I offered for him to stay at my shop, and I made sure to lock the front door before we went to bed," Richter nodded at Erhard's words.

"Was there any way for me to unlock the door without using your key?" Richter asked.

"Only with my key, which was in my room when I slept. He wouldn't have been able to sneak in, because I'm a light sleeper," he explained.

"Well, is there any way for one to leave the building?" Richter asked.

"Besides jumping through the window, which I would've heard, no," Erhard said.

"Any questions?" Richter asked, looking around. Nothing. "I guess that means we're done here," he said, looking to the shopkeeper, "thank you for your time."

"What was the whole point of this?" the king asked, looking at Richter, who kept a neutral face.

"Simple. It was to show you I couldn't have done it. I have two witnesses claiming I was nowhere near the crime scene. I'm not claiming anyone tried to set me up, but it looks like that might be the case," Richter said. He looked at Myne, who's eyes were wide. She looked like she might have actually gone through that, but she got the wrong guy. "But, it could also be a case of false identification."

"W-Well, as King of Melromarc, I can see that being the only logical option," Audcry said. "We are sorry for bothering you, Shield Hero."

"It's understandable. I suppose it would be best for me to leave," Richter said, as he walked out. Erhard and Itsuki both followed, while Ren stood still and thought. Motoyasu comforted the redhead.

As the two heroes left, followed by the shopkeeper, Richter looked to the others.

"So, I guess I should thank you both for believing in me," Richter said.

"Hey, I guess the truth managed to prevail," Itsuki said.

"I promised that I would do what I can, and I delivered," Erhard responded.

"So, the next part of my premonition is something about 30 silver, and some girl I think is named Raphtalia," he told them.

"Good luck in your search," Itsuki said, before looking at the horizon. "I should get goi-"

"Oh, before I forget," Richter said. "If you find a bow, pick it up and you should be able to copy it. That's how I got my new shield," Richter said, showing off his Deku Shield. He never unequipped it, so he kinda forgot about it.

"Thanks for the tip. I'll see you around," Itsuki said, before walking away.

"He's a good kid," Erhard said, before the two began to walk to his shop. As they did so, they noticed people gave looks of disgust to the Shield Hero.

"It looks like rumors of my 'crime' have already spread," Richter said. The two made their way to Erhard's shop, as Richter forgot his bag. As Erhard went to the residential part of his business, Richter's mind thought to the information he withheld, while he wiped the blood from his nose.

"_If you can't fight, then I'll go back there and buy someone else."_

He thought about what it could mean. He had an idea, but it was one he'd rather not entertain. Seeing Erhard, he was confused as to why he had the second item. Richter saw he had a green cloak alongside the old bag.

"I'd figure I would sell this to ya, since your name has been trashed," he said, as Richter looked over the cloak. It had some small rips near the end of it, but the bearer of the shield wouldn't mind.

"How much?" Richter asked.

"Let's say it's on clearance and so I'll probably sell it at 9 copper," Erhard said, as Richter tossed him a silver coin.

"Don't bother with change. I'll use the rest of that for info," Richter said before the man could begin to get the 91 copper he owed. "I want you to be truthful with me," Richter said. "Is slavery legal here?" He asked.

Erhard sighed, "Mainly against Demihumans, but yeah. Why?"

"I've… withheld information about my premonition. Me, or at least some combination of my voice and someone else's, told someone that if they couldn't fight, then we would take them back and 'get someone else'. But that makes it sound like I bought a slave," Richter said, looking down. "I'm not someone who would do that, so why would my premonition self choose to buy someone?" Richter questioned nobody in particular.

"You, or the other guy, were probably intended to partner up with Myne, and when this whole thing went down, he felt betrayed. Slaves here have a special crest, that forces them to obey their masters. When he heard of this, he probably figured it would be his best chance at surviving, since he couldn't use a proper weapon," Erhard said.

"But even now, would it be worth it?" Richter asked. He felt something in his chest. It tugged at him, telling him to do something. He thought, and he let his hands slip into his pockets.

'A sheet of paper?' Richter thought, as he pulled out the slip of paper his professor wrote down that led him here. He reread the note.

_Believe in Her, Hero. _

Gliding his thumb across the letters, he noticed the slip also had some markings under that, but he couldn't make out what they were. He had an idea. Walking to a nearby torch, he let the paper catch fire.

"Woah! Kid, what're you doing?!" Richter heard Erhard ask, where he pulled the slip out of the fire. It was burning, but he saw some letters that weren't there earlier.

_Sh_ n_ed_ yo__

His eyes widening, he let the slip burn in his hand. Thanks to his high defense, it didn't even phase him. He looked to the shopkeeper.

"Do you know where to buy a slave?" Richter asked. Erhard's eyes widened slightly.

"Someone tried to convince me to buy one to help out around the shop. They told me to go to a large colorful tent at night. Keep an eye out for a fat man in a top hat, as he's the owner," Erhard explained.

"Alright, thanks. I should be back here tonight or tomorrow," Richter said, as he turned to leave the shop. Attaching the green cloak to his tunic, the gray haired man made his way to the outside of the city, ready to do some grinding.

* * *

The day felt longer.

Richter managed to reenter the capital at twilight. Wandering the streets, he kept an eye out for his target. He barely managed to make it to level 3. As with his last level up, all of his stats increased except for his attack. The Shield Hero kept his legendary shield, or his default shield, equipped, as a change of pace. He kept to the alleyways, looking past corners for his destination.

Richter heard what sounded like footsteps behind him, as he wandered the alleyways. He inspected his shield, and noticed three guys following him in the shield's reflection. He continued to wander, pretending not to see them. He rounded a corner, and hugged the wall. The three who followed him turned the corner, but stopped when they realized they lost him.

"Where'd he go?" One asked.

"I don't know, he must've seen us somehow," another responded.

"Doesn't matter. Let's find him and make him… share his money with us," a third said. The three fanned out, as one approached where Richter was hiding.

Quickly slipping behind the guy, he wrapped his left arm around his neck. The man moved his hands to try and pry himself free, but it was futile. Richter threw him into a wall, knocking him out. Looking at the unconscious man, he saw that he tried to pull his knife. He dragged the guy into a dark corner of the alley, before searching his body. He didn't have anything of use on him.

Looking behind him, he saw the other thug looking around for him. He crouched down and moved forward, ready to lunge and attack. Before the thug could notice Richter, he ducked away into a side alley.

"Huh?" The Shield Hero heard the man ask. "Was that you, Eric?" he asked, before rounding the corner. Richter quickly delivered a flying haymaker that knocked him to the ground. Richter then slammed his foot on the guy's gut, before kicking his head.

Looking back up, he saw the third thug. He drew his knife and rushed him. Richter raised his shield and blocked the attack. He then kicked him in the shin, before throwing a gut punch. He backed off, quickly smacking his shield against his head.

Richter quickly left, dashing through the alleyways as he kept an eye behind him. As he did so, he saw a large circus tent in the middle of a clearing of buildings. Looking around, Richter saw someone approach him.

He was a fat, short man. He had a top hat, alongside a suit. He had glasses that prevented the Shield Hero from seeing his eyes.

"Well, look who it is," he said, as Richter focused his gaze on the man. "You're the Shield Hero, are you not?" He asked.

"Depends on who's asking," Richter said. He decided to keep a cold aura around him, while he tried to get a read for the man.

"Just a merchant looking to sell some merchandise. If you're interested, follow me," he said, as he entered the tent.

Richter nodded to himself, before entering the tent, ready to wipe blood from his nose. Entering the tent, he saw a lot of metal cages. The ground was made of dirt, while his ears caught the sound of growling. Peering into the cages, he saw some of them had creatures with red eyes.

"I'm guessing this isn't just a place to sell cages," Richter said.

"You're right. What I sell is far more valuable," he said. "I sell slaves, m'boy!"

Richter nodded, his nose bleeding. 'Yeah. This is the place,' he thought as he wiped the crimson liquid away.

"So, what kind of slave are you looking for?" Richter looked back up, thinking.

"What do you got?"

"Well, you've got beastmen. They're good for offense and physical labor, but they're dumb as bricks," he said, as he went to a cage. Raising the cloth, a gray wolf man lunged at the bars. "This right here is the best slave I got. He's level 75," the slave keeper explained.

'That's 25 times my level,' Richter thought.

"Let me guess, he's out of my price range," Richter said.

"He's worth 15 gold pieces," Richter shook his head.

"It's way out of my price range. I assume you knew that."

"Yes sir, I want to make sure you obtain a good eye for this. You could be one of my best customers," the slave merchant said. The two heard coughing. "So, I'll ask again. What kind of…" the merchant stopped talking when he noticed the Shield Hero was following the sound of the coughing. He knelt down in front of a cage, before moving the cloth away.

Inside was a young girl. She had brown hair and a tail. She had little ears on her head. She was dirty, and had dull red eyes. She had a metal collar around her neck, alongside one around each of her wrists. She was wearing a brown cloth, and she had a look that said she didn't care about what happened to her. Richter felt something in his chest, and a nosebleed form.

Wiping away the blood, he turned to the slave merchant, who was making his way to him. "I believe you would want to look for some of my other merchandise," he said, "This raccoon girl is diseased, and has a mental disorder. I'd recommend another type of sla-"

"How much is she?" Richter asked, as the girl's eyes grew wide in fear.

"How does 30 silver sound?" The merchant asked, while he took a key out of his pocket.

"33 if you give me some info," Richter said, producing the coin.

"What would you like to know?"

"I've heard about these slave crests, is that true?"

"Yes, it's specific settings rely on the user. But they will be forced to obey any order you give, otherwise it'll shock them until they do it or die," he explained. Richter nodded, indicating for him to continue. "Currently, all of these slaves are in a contract with me as the master, but when you buy them, I transfer ownership to you. If she isn't working out, you can return her for full price, so long as no damages have been done," he explained.

"Alright. I guess these crests can't be removed with some soap and water," Richter said, causing the merchant to laugh.

"No, my boy. They require a special potion to remove them. It's hard to find, so even if she managed to run away from you, she'd have a hell of a time trying to find a crest removal potion."

"Alright, thanks. Now, let's get this over with," Richter said, as the merchant opened the cage and pulled her out of the metal box. He took her to an office-like room.

"Hold still," he said to the girl, as he grabbed a bowl of ink and a knife. "I need some of your blood to mix with the ink. Then, I'll apply the crest for you," he said, as he cut Richter's thumb. A bit of blood came out, while the Shield Hero noticed the girl flinch.

Once he got some blood, he used a brush to mix it with the ink and he painted a symbol on her chest. She bit down, as the marking began to look like it was burning. Richter noticed in his HUD that he received a new party member.

**Demihuman A Level 1**

She had the same slave symbol as her icon. Unlike Richter, who had three bars, she only had two. She shared his orangish red, and blue bars, while she was missing his green bar.

"Here ya go," Richter said, as he handed over some silver coins.

"Sir, there's two extra," the merchant said.

"That's for not BSing me on the info," he said, as he began to make his way to the exit of the tent. "Come on," he said, as the slave began to follow him, but at a distance.

"He really did choose her, huh. I guess what they said about his visions were right," the merchant muttered, as he watched the Shield Hero make his way out of the tent.

**Hey everyone, welcome back. I hope everyone's been doing well. First I just want to thank everyone for actually reading and enjoying these ****stories. I am actually surprised by everyone who enjoys these. I only hope I can provide material that you all enjoy. **

**Also, I make the story T because, besides a few references to sex in the future chapters, it won't be worth the M rating. **


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